• A boy wearing a face mask takes his dogs on a stroll on the Corniche in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
    A boy wearing a face mask takes his dogs on a stroll on the Corniche in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
  • A Covid-19 safety sign on Al Qahirah street in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
    A Covid-19 safety sign on Al Qahirah street in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
  • Checkers line up at the entrance of Global Village with masks and face shields. Reem Mohammed / The National
    Checkers line up at the entrance of Global Village with masks and face shields. Reem Mohammed / The National
  • Abu Dhabi residents on their Friday morning fitness ritual. Victor Besa / The National
    Abu Dhabi residents on their Friday morning fitness ritual. Victor Besa / The National
  • Bridal facemask at Contessa Bridal Dubai in City Walk in Dubai. Reem Mohammed / The National
    Bridal facemask at Contessa Bridal Dubai in City Walk in Dubai. Reem Mohammed / The National
  • An employee at The Meydan Hotel in Dubai sanitises the reception area to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    An employee at The Meydan Hotel in Dubai sanitises the reception area to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • A lifeguard at The Meydan Hotel with a mask on to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    A lifeguard at The Meydan Hotel with a mask on to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Hygiene and Covid-19 safety measures take place at a fitness class at Bare. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Hygiene and Covid-19 safety measures take place at a fitness class at Bare. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • A lady works on her laptop while wearing a mask at Times Square in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    A lady works on her laptop while wearing a mask at Times Square in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • People wear masks to curb the spread of the coronavirus in Satwa, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    People wear masks to curb the spread of the coronavirus in Satwa, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Coronavirus safety measures are taken at 815 Dance & Performing Arts Training Centre in Silicone Oasis in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Coronavirus safety measures are taken at 815 Dance & Performing Arts Training Centre in Silicone Oasis in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • A lady takes part in an art installation which comes to life via augmented reality with a mask on to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    A lady takes part in an art installation which comes to life via augmented reality with a mask on to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Authorities in Dubai shut down 11 businesses over Covid-19 breaches


Patrick Ryan
  • English
  • Arabic

Dubai Economy closed down 11 shops for flouting Covid-19 guidelines in March.

The Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection Sector of the authority issued 252 fines and 61 warnings during the month.

Most of the breaches were related to failure to wear face masks or adhere to physical distancing rules.

The incidents were detected during inspections of markets and shopping centres across the emirate.

“Dubai Economy will continue the inspections along with our various partners, and will not tolerate any violation or malpractice detected or reported by the public,” said Abdul Aziz Al Tannak, director of commercial control at Dubai Economy.

“Businesses should strictly adhere to precautionary measures such as wearing masks and gloves and maintaining physical distancing.”

Mr Al Tannak said Dubai Economy had stepped up inspections and there were almost 16,500 stores in the emirate in full compliance with the rules.

This figure, he said, showed more than 98 per cent of stores were applying social distancing rules correctly.

He also urged the public to report any breaches through the Dubai Consumer App, which is available on the Apple, Google and Huawei stores.

Alternatively, they could call 600 545 555 or lodge a complaint on the consumerrights.ae website.

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

List of officials:

Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.

Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jesse%20V%20Johnson%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Rooker%2C%20Bruce%20Willis%2C%20John%20Malkovich%2C%20Olga%20Kurylenko%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How green is the expo nursery?

Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery

An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo

Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery

Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape

The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides

All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality

Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country

Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow

Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site

Green waste is recycled as compost

Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs

Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers

About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer

Main themes of expo is  ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.

Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

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Profile of Tamatem

Date started: March 2013

Founder: Hussam Hammo

Based: Amman, Jordan

Employees: 55

Funding: $6m

Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat